Party Template: Shipwrecked Survivors

Shipwrecked Survivors

N.B. - Before I get started with mechanics and everything I want to talk about colonialism. I recognize that The Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe, Castaway and Lost all cater to a strongly Eurocentric colonialist ideal of Island life. Robinson Crusoe in particular has a lot of pretty terrible racist/xenophobic and just cruel stuff in it. There's a generally uncomfortable feeling of plundering other cultures in traditional roleplaying games, and this kind of group could lean right into it. I've done what I can to shift the focus from resource exploitation to community building, but please let me know if I have made any especially unpleasant or offensive gaffes. I thought about skipping this party template, but I really want to try and capture some of what I actually found magical about Swiss Family Robinson in particular.

This Asshole

As quick reminder, Party Templates are a system I have built out from the discussion of Party Sheets on Goblin Punch, Crews from Blades in the Dark, and the general modular nature of GLOG classes. They function as a class with abilities that applies to the whole party. Like a single player character, multi classing is possible, and is considered by the design. Each template gives an ability to the party but the first one includes two positive abilities and an "ability" that includes a responsibility and a way to earn experience. In my GLOG hack there is no way to earn experience outside of the ability of a class or party template. In order for a party to earn a new template, they need to collectively earn four times the amount of experience a player character needs to level up. They may only possess four templates.

My random encounter system is based on Goblin Punch's treatment of Noise and Perception as two separate stats determined by class abilities and your class template. Currently you make a single d20 roll, with lower being better. If you roll under Perception you get an omen or sign of a random encounter and if you roll above iNoise you get a random encounter, rolled on the appropriate table.

Races and classes are included with the Party Template for two reasons. Firstly, I like the idea of expanding player options the more they play, opening up new possibilities as they explore. Second, I like the option of randomly generating a character. Currently, pretty much any character in the hack can be generated by rolling 2d12, 3d6 six times, and a d6. I think that's cool.

The Shipwreck by Claude Joseph Vernet

Party Template: Shipwrecked Survivors

Base Perception & Noise: 6/14

Aligned With Any

A: Community of Survivors, Survival Instincts, The Wreck

B: Traps and Snares

C: Holiday Celebration

D: Paths and Ways

Community of Survivors: Shipwrecked Survivors did not arrive alone. They are responsible for a band of other survivors who rely on them to live in this place. These may be children, noncombatants, or simply less courageous people who want to build a place to survive for now without plunging into the unknown. They may demand medicines or luxury goods from the player characters. Shipwrecked Survivors can gain experience by making peaceful contact with natives in the unknown lands AND/OR using recovered items and wealth to improve the home of the community.

Survival Instincts: For each Shipwrecked Survivors template the party possesses, they gain a point of Survival Instincts. This may be used to reroll any d20 roll made by a Survivor, and is only expended if the new roll succeeds. Survival Instincts are replenished by providing a full meal to the entire community, not just the party.

The Wreck: Just a little ways away the wreck that deposited the Shipwrecked Survivors is still visible. The last salvage from it may be crucial to their survival. Any time someone makes an expedition to the Wreck they can retrieve any one non-magical item that can fit into a rowboat. Each time they do so, they must roll a d20. On a result greater than or equal to the number of trips that have been made to The Wreck, the Wreck becomes lost to the sea.

Traps and Snares: The party have learned to use clever traps and snares to their advantage. If the party has time to prepare, they can build a number of traps or snares equal to the number of Shipwrecked Survivor templates they possess. Alternately, they can declare their Instincts were set off, and spend a point of Survival Instincts to place that many traps, even when surprised. They just had a feeling.

Holiday Celebration: The party celebrates a traditional holiday with a grand feast and ritual. This requires double the amount of food and probably some alcohol as well. Regardless, the community spirit bolsters the party and the community and they may choose to pass any one save that occurs within the next month. Only one Holiday Celebration can be held a month.

This is Home Now: These Survivors have been here long enough that this place, though they may some day leave, will always be a kind of home. When they travel the wilderness they were first lost in, they may choose whether or not to roll a Random Encounter. Additionally, other factions treat them as natives to the island or The Civilized Lands, whichever is more favorable.

1d12 Shipwrecked Survivor Starting Classes

1-2 - Sailor

3-4 - Soldier

5-6 - Merchant

7-8 - Scholar

9-10 - Acolyte

11 - Sanctioned Elementalist

12 - Noble